Forks Forum Letter Honors the Work of Corrections

Posted by Paul Zilly746sc on December 03, 2015

Honoring the work of corrections.

In yesterday's Forks Forum, letter-writer Miles Lawson, a Security Specialist at the Clallam Bay Corrections Center, gives a vivid account of the challenges facing the brave men and women who work in corrections.

For Local 117 members who work in other industries, I encourage you to read his letter and watch this video so that you can begin to understand the dangers and stress associated with this important line of work.

If you drive 35 minutes north or south of Forks, you will find a prison; to the south is Olympic Corrections Center and to the north is Clallam Bay Corrections Center. The two facilities together house nearly 1,300 inmates with crimes ranging from drugs to aggravated murder. I am sure you know at least one person who works as a correctional officer at these facilities, so I am asking you to do a couple of things this holiday season.

First, think about the personalities that officer has to interact with every single day. Prisons have become the default mental health institutions for the nation where officers, many times completely alone, must walk in the midst of inmates who are always looking for an opportunity to hurt them or manipulate them.